Grate-bar.



PATENTED JUNE 13! 1905.

W. MOOLAVE.

GRATE BAR APPLIGATIQN FILED MAY 26, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

W. MQCLAVE.

GRATE BAR.

APPLICATION FILED my 26, 1904.

3 BHEETS SHEET 2-.

M M W UNITED STATES Patented June 13, 1905'? PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MOCLAVE, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MoOLAVE BROOKS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

GRATE-BAFI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,539, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed May 26, 1904. Serial No. 209,944.

1'0 all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MoCLAvn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grate-Bars; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.-

This invention relates to improvements in grates, and particularly to the structure of the fuel-engaging surfaces of such grates; and the object of the invention is the provision of grate-bars having fuel-supporting surfaces which are so constructed as to have ash-holding grooves or troughs for protecting the portions of the grate-surfaces which engage the fuel, the said bars being well adapted for the feeding of fuel down the surface of the grate, the said grate being of the inclined type.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in-connection with a grate of the type illustrated and described in my prior patent, No. 689,827, issued December 24, 1901.- In this patent is set forth a grate having a series of reciprocating bars, preferably used in connection with alternately-arranged fixed bars, the fuel-supporting surface of the said bars being formed with horizontal and inclined surfaces. The action of the moving bars is such as to feed fuel gradually down the incline of the grate.

It comprises certain combinations, arrangements, and constructions of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a number of gratebars arranged in proper relation to each other, the plane of the section extending at right angles to the body portions of the bars. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of a gratesurface made up of bars constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the gratebar, showing the continuous groove formed by the pockets or depressions provided in the upper surface of the fuel-engaging caps. Figs. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view through one of the caps upon the line a Z) of Fig. 1, showing its engagement with the supportingbar proper. Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on line 0 (Z of Fig. 1 through the forward ends of the caps and the adjacent portions of the bar proper supporting the said cap.

In grates of the type shown in my previous patent above referred to fuel is fed downwardly over the grate-surface by the action of certain of the grate-bars, and the grate is designed for use in connection with all kinds of fuel, but is particularly adapted to meet the requirements of a grate capable of handling fine fuels, which closely hug the surface of the grate-bars and when ignited tend to heat and often melt the exposed surface thereof. This action of fuels is especially noticeable in attempting to use in furnaces fine anthracite fuels, which do not have the coking action common to bituminous coal. A grate which will withstand the effect of intense heat generated by bituminous coal will often be caused to melt at certain points when it is attempted to use fine anthracite coal. The present invention is designed to so provide the gratebars of a stoking-grate with caps or fuelbearing portions that they will not be subjected to melting or other difficulties when fine anthracite coal is used.

In the accompanying drawings Ihave shown a preferable manner of constructing the gratebars and their fuel-supporting surfaces, the said surfaces being capable of meeting all the requirements above enumerated.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a grate-bar formed with a body portion 2 and a fuel engaging and supporting cap portion 3. The structure of the grate-bars may be practically the same whether they are stationary or movable, and in the type of grate above referred to I generally mount every other gratebar in a fixed position upon the carrier-bars of the furnace, while the intermediate alternate grate-bars are capable of a reciprocating movement and the fuel-bearing surfaces thereof move back and forth between the fixed bars for forcing or feeding the fuel down the inclined surface of the grate. The cap portion 3 of the bar may be made integral with the body portion of the bar, if desired; but I usually form the same separable from the said body portion and attach it to the upper surface of the bar in a suitable manner. In Fig. 1 I have illustrated in cross-section the construction of a bar in which the caps or fuel-engaging portions are removably secured to the bar. In this form of the gratebar the said bar proper is provided with a series of laterally-projecting fingers 4, which extend sufliciently far to one side of the bar to offer a substantial support to the outer end of the fuel-engaging caps 3. The construction of the cap portions 3 forms an important feature of the invention, for the outer or free ends of the said caps constitute the portions of the grate-bars which are subjected to the fierce action of the heat as the burning fuel is passed down over the grate-surface. As illustrated in the drawings, each cap portion 3 is formed with a continuous integral portion 5 extending across one end, while extending outwardly therefrom is a series of fingers or bars 6. Near the outer free ends of these fingers transverse strengthening portions 7 and 8 extend across the cap and hold the fingers with respect to each other, making a strong structure of the cap. The extreme outer ends of the cap-fingers 6 may be joined in pairs, as indicated at 9. Of course it will be understood that all of the fingers might be joined, forming a solid transverse web at the pushing end of the bar-cap; but I find in use that it is always advisable to offer short lines of metal to the expansive elfect of the heat generated upon the grate-surfaces. In this way the warping of the parts composing the grate is obviated, and the likelihood of such parts becoming cracked or broken is prevented. The upper surface of each of the caps 3 is made horizontal for a portion of its length, while the free fuel-engaging end is inclined clownwardly.

At the juncture of the upper surface of the cap with the forward-inclined surface I make provision for the protection or insulation of the cap against the excessive heat to which it is subjected at that point. \Vith this object in View a transverse concave recess, as at 10, is formed in each cap, the said recess being, in effect, a transverse groove or pocket extending across the said cap. The curvature of the said recess or groove is such that a small amount of ash is collected and retained upon the end of the cap. I find in use that the small amount of ash thus held continuously upon the free end or nose of the bar-caps is sufficient to protect the caps against excessive heat and to prevent them from melting or becoming sufiiciently soft to permit the rear free ends of said caps to droop or sag over the surface of the next bar beneath. The rear portion of each cap is raised to the suflicient height to form a retaining-ridge, as at 11, for

insuring the proper holding of the ashes in place. The ashes thus held in the transverse grooves or pockets are not sufiieiently displaced by the reciprocations of the grate-bars to prevent them from acting as insulation or protection at all times for the fuel-engaging portions of the caps- In making a practical structure and facilitating the manufacture of the caps the fingers 6 are tapered downwardly in cross-section,

and the cross-ties'or web portions of the bar are also tapered downwardly, the shape thus given to the parts permitting of the drawing of the articles from the sand in molding without d-ifiiculty.v

Where the caps are not cast integral with the bar proper, the ends of said caps adjacent to the bars are provided with recesses 19. in their under surfaces, which-fit upon upwardlyprojecting lugs or short ribs 13, formed. upon the tops of the bars. The structure of the bars, with the projections or ribs 13, is clearly shown in Fig. 4, the section in this view being taken through the caps upon a line with the recess 12, formed in the under surface thereof. A securing bolt, as 14, may be passed through an aperture formed in a thickened portion of the cap and engage lugs or other projecting portions, as 15, formed upon the body portion of the bar, as clearly shown in the drawings. The caps do not, preferably, fit closely upon the entire upper edge of the bar-supporting fingers 4. The said caps may be thickened at 15, so as to rest upon the outer thickened ends of the supporting-fingers 4, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The ends of the supporting-fingers 4 are made suf ficiently wide to receive and support the adjacentthickened portions 15 of adjacent caps. The engagement of the elongated portions 15" with the broad ends of the supporting-fingers 4 is illustrated in Fig. 5. A space is left between the fingers 6 of the caps and the supporting-fingers 4 of the bars, as at 16, so that air may circulate between the caps and their supports for the greater portion of their length.

As above intimated, the caps are preferably removably secured to the bars, so that in the event of their becoming burned out or injured in any way they can be easily removed and be replaced by new ones.

The bar above described is admirably adapted for use in reciprocating grates, and the collecting groove or recess at the fuel-engaging ends of the bar-caps will operate at all times to protect the stoking ends of said caps. The position and shape of the recesses or grooves is such that there will be sufficient ash held therein to effect the desired purpose. The removable caps of the bars are comparatively inexpensive in manufacture and can be replaced from time to time without great expense.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A grate-bar provided with a fuel-engaging cap portion having a plurality of fuel-forcing surfaces, arranged parallel with the gratebar, the said forcing-surfaces forming a recess or concave surface between them for collecting ashes.

2. A grate-bar comprising a body portion, fuel-engaging caps projecting therefrom, the portion of the cap which projects into the fuel being formed with ridges arranged in different elevationsand extending parallel with the grate-bar and forming a hollowed space for receiving sufficient ash to protect the portion of the cap which extends into the fuel.

3. A grate-bar comprising a bar proper and a series of caps secured thereon, one end of each cap projecting from the bar so as to engage the fuel on the grate-surface, a groove or trough being formed in the portion of each cap which engages the fuel, the said grooves of the caps forming a continuous trough parallel with the grate-bar.

4. A grate-bar comprising a body portion, having caps secured to the upper edge thereof, laterally-extending fingers or supports for holding the caps to one side of the bar, the outer free end of each cap extending downwardly and forming an inclined fuel-abutting surface a groove or trough being formed in said fuel-abutting surface for retaining ashes said groove or trough lying parallel with the body portion of the bar.

5. A grate-bar suitable for reciprocating grates made up of a body portion and a fuelengaging cap portion projecting well to one side of the body portion so as to be capable of extending between the cap portions of adjacent bars for pushing or propelling the fuel upon the grate-surface, the fuel-pushing portion of the bar-cap having shoulders or projections arranged in planes one above the other, a hollow or depression being left between them for collecting ashes.

6. A grate-bar having a fuel-engaging top portion or cap, the said top portion projecting well to one side of the body portion of the bar, and having a fuel-propelling nose portion inclining downwardly from one edge thereof, a ridge formed upon the upper surface of said'nose for collecting ashes behind it and protecting the fuel-engaging portion of the cap, the said nose being provided with air-spaces at suitable intervals.

7. A grate-bar provided with cap portions having fuel pushing edge portions and a groove or recess extending along the said fuelpushing edge portions parallel with the bar for collecting insulating-ashes.

8. A grate-bar, provided with a body portion and removable caps mounted thereon each having an attaching portion resting upon the body portion and provided with an upper and a lower fuel-engaging shoulder, the said cap having elongated downwardly-flaring slots in the upper shouldered portion, the lower shouldered portion being also slotted at intervals along the edge of the cap where it projects into the fuel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MoCLAVE.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. KNAPP, H. J. KEENAN. 

